Parcel Shelf Question

[Hawkeye's-911T]

I am at a loss to explain the reasoning behind as to why there are so many spot welds so close together & in some cases overlapping or on top of one another. My theory being the welder was having a very bad Monday after not getting laid over the weekend & decided “screw-it” – I’ll vent my frustrations in this way. This may prove to be a flawed decision on my part to try drill out the spot welds on the parcel shelf as it was predicated on their close proximity & had the possibility (in my mind at the time) of being the least destructive method of removing the existing shelf & preserving some of the existing flange/lip for re-attachment of the new replacement shelf. These drilled holes are 3/16” (5mm) & on average 3/8” (10mm) apart. The two surfaces for all intents & purposes are still conjoined as even a very thin blade hardly slips between the two surfaces. It goes without saying – this was an abysmal failure. I then used a 3/8” spot weld cutter & still not much in the way of success for as mentioned earlier, the spot welds being nearly on top of each other as to negate separation of the shelf panel from the flange in the high-lighted area. There will be precious little of the flange lip left to which the replacement panel is to be welded if I continue down this course. As you can see, the flange or lip is of such a light gauge material, it is very easy to blow through it. Again, I cannot get a thin blade between said lip & the shelf itself. Can anyone suggest an alternate solution to this quandary or do I continue on with this apparent destructive process of removal in the hope a Porsche welding guru will be able to make all well & sound again. Thanks & Cheers JB

[962porsche]

you should not be drilling all the way thru both panels your going to remove.
this is when the proper spot weld cutter comes into play and one reason why there are so many different types.

[Hawkeye's-911T]

Hi 962

I am using a Blair 3/8' spot weld cutter & still in the same pickle as I mentioned in my o/post.
I now regret & see the error & folly of my ways in my initial attempts to separate the shelf from the lip in the 2nd photo.
It is now clear I followed some rather specious advice in my first efforts - "live & learn" - I guess.

What do you suggest in the way or type of cutters or think how I should proceed or the next steps necessary
to solve what has become for me a rather intractable problem. Your input is most appreciated.

Thanks & Cheers
JB

[962porsche]

when im removing a welded on panel the 1st thing i always do is cut the hole thing out using a 4.5" cut off wheel , sawzall , and or air chisel just to get the majority of the unwanted metal out of the way. i like to leave about a 1/2" of the old panel left were the spot welds are .

when your drilling out the spot welds take a 1/8" drill bit and pit a little dimple in the center of the spot weld. this will do two things for you. the 1st is let you see them easier as your working to remove the panel and the 2nd is it will not let the spot weld cutter walk as easy.
when ever you can you want to drill from the side of the panel your removing. this way your not left with a hole in the panel your saving that you will have to deal with.
you want to pick a cutter just a little bigger then the size of the spot welds your removing. to large of a cutter will make it harder to cut thru just the one panel your removing.

porsche along with most euro cars place spot welds about 2" apart they do this to make the car stronger it's twice as many as US or asian cars but also a PITA when you need to replace a panel.
i still would rather it be a PITA then own a honda.

when it comes to having to remove the edge that is left from the old panel i tend to use a ridged putty knife with the knife blade that goes all the way to the end of the handle.
this way you can hit it with a hammer to drive the knife between the two pieces of metal to separate them.
once i get them separated a little you then can use a panel splitter knife or an air chisel with a very flat chisel blade.
at this point they should come apart pretty easily.

when your using a spot weld cutter and they have replaceable cutting teeth buy an extra pack of them. rust will dull a cutting tool pretty quickly. also the center pins will break so an extra pack of them will come in handy too.
spot weld cutters are designed for low speed drills a home drill made for wood is a high speed drill and will burn out the cutting blades real quickly. you cut slow speed for metals and use some WD40 when cutting. wd40 has no silicone so it's safe for you to use when doing autobody metal work. you can just wipe it off when your all done using thinner.

[Hawkeye's-911T]

Hey 962
Thanks for your input. Much appreciated & thanks again.
Cheers
JB

[Rodney Nelson]

Originally Posted by 962porsche

when im removing a welded on panel the 1st thing i always do is cut the hole thing out using a 4.5" cut off wheel , sawzall , and or air chisel just to get the majority of the unwanted metal out of the way. i like to leave about a 1/2" of the old panel left were the spot welds are .

when your drilling out the spot welds take a 1/8" drill bit and pit a little dimple in the center of the spot weld. this will do two things for you. the 1st is let you see them easier as your working to remove the panel and the 2nd is it will not let the spot weld cutter walk as easy.
when ever you can you want to drill from the side of the panel your removing. this way your not left with a hole in the panel your saving that you will have to deal with.
you want to pick a cutter just a little bigger then the size of the spot welds your removing. to large of a cutter will make it harder to cut thru just the one panel your removing.

porsche along with most euro cars place spot welds about 2" apart they do this to make the car stronger it's twice as many as US or asian cars but also a PITA when you need to replace a panel.
i still would rather it be a PITA then own a honda.

when it comes to having to remove the edge that is left from the old panel i tend to use a ridged putty knife with the knife blade that goes all the way to the end of the handle.
this way you can hit it with a hammer to drive the knife between the two pieces of metal to separate them.
once i get them separated a little you then can use a panel splitter knife or an air chisel with a very flat chisel blade.
at this point they should come apart pretty easily.

when your using a spot weld cutter and they have replaceable cutting teeth buy an extra pack of them. rust will dull a cutting tool pretty quickly. also the center pins will break so an extra pack of them will come in handy too.
spot weld cutters are designed for low speed drills a home drill made for wood is a high speed drill and will burn out the cutting blades real quickly. you cut slow speed for metals and use some WD40 when cutting. wd40 has no silicone so it's safe for you to use when doing autobody metal work. you can just wipe it off when your all done using thinner.

Hi 962,

Could you offer a brand to use for the spot removal drill bits?

Thanks,

Rodney

[962porsche]

for spot weld drill bits i get them from belmetric. they will work with a normal drill
for our spot weld drill tool it's a dent fix tool so we use the dent fix bits for it . this tool works good for pinch type welded lips.
i also like the blair premium cutters with the pins.
i like blair products i have there cutter drill but it's a POS when it works it works good the down side is after about two years it broke we sent it back and had it repaired to only break again about a year later. sent it back out had it repaired and now i just use the dent fix tool.
i don't use just one type of cutter for removing spot welds i will use many different ones depending on just where and what the weld is.

most all spot weld removal drills you do not want to have a RPM more then 500. low speed it the key to having them work there best.
i have had many hurt hands from a drill bit slipping off the spot weld and my hand punching the panel. it's just part of the job.

[Rodney Nelson]

Thank you for the reply 962porsche!